Active Support in Action

1. Active Support in Action

3. The Active Support Model was researched and developed in the UK by: • Prof David Felce and his colleagues at the University of Wales College of Medicine, Cardiff, and • Prof Jim Mansell and his colleagues at the Tizard Centre, University of Kent, Canterbury.

4. Group Homes • Community living provides better client outcomes and higher quality living environments than institutions. • Research has shown • that there has been a wide variation in outcomes and quality in the community. • residents with severe disability have very low levels of participation in meaningful activity.

5. The “Hotel Model” Residents Staff Residents are spectators in their own lives. Staff feel like glorified domestics.

7. Person Centred Active Support The ultimate aim is to support people to live the lives they want to live, doing the things they want to do, following their agenda and respecting their decisions.

8. Support and Participation • Basic issue about howsupport is provided. • Staff can do things forpeople with disabilities or can do those same activities withservice users and support them to participate.

9. Limitations of Active Support • Heavy focus on domestic activities – danger of overemphasis on these activities. • Weaker on community activities and supporting social networks.

10. Participationin all of the activities everybody else does Involvementwith other people, and Developmentof skills, interests and relationships Your role as a support worker is to support people who are not fully independent to be able to engage in that mixture of typical constructive activities and personal pursuits which provides everyone with their purpose in life.

11. Look to your left Look to your rightIf there’s no one else involved...go and get them

12. Activity – In groups • Worksheet 1.2 (p.6) • What are the consequences of engagement in meaningful activity? • What are the consequences of extensive disengagement? Think about these questions in relation to people with a disability – not just people with intellectual disabilities

13. WHY IS ACTIVE SUPPORT IMPORTANT? MOST people spend MOST of their time participating in activities rather than doing nothing. Some of the things we all do are: chores hobbies looking after ourselves helping others having a good time with our friends a well earned rest with our favourite pastime.

14. We make choices, but rarely choose to do nothing most of the time.

15. Planning for Participation What are you doing Tonight? This weekend? In a few months time?

16. Planning for Participation • Planning is part of ordinary life • We plan or programme many things every day • Most of us have a sense of our own daily / weekly routine • We plan a mixture of regular, frequent activities and more occasional ones

17. Planning includes • A system for planning service users activities and staff deployment on a daily basis • ‘Goal’ or ‘opportunity’ planning which expands the opportunities for participation in activities • Monitoring the level of client participation in various activities on a daily basis.

18. Figure 7. Department of Human Services Person Centred – Active Support MONTHLY OPPORTUNITY RECORDING PLAN Name: Andrew Roster……………… LEARNING LOG

19. Social Networks • Activity and Support Plans or Opportunity Plans can be used to put values, such as social inclusion, into action by supporting consumers to: • Visit friends or family and invite them over • Send cards or gifts on special occasions • Make a phone call to family or friends • Volunteer • Join a club or interest group

20. ProblemThere are things which many people with disabilities (particularly severe disabilities) cannot entirely do for themselves Solution Everyone has some ability and can be involved in every activity if given enough direct assistance and if the task is broken down into sufficiently small steps.

21. Support • What’s the rush? • New experiences are easiest in small doses • Keep it simple – reduce complexity of tasks

22. The goal The primary reason for providing support is to enable each resident to participate in activities. If participation leads to independence, this is a bonus, but continuing to give (high levels of) support is fine.

23. Activity – share with those next to youassessment three p 11 • Think of a person with a disability whom you currently support. Identify 10 tasks they perform (or could perform) during a normal day. • How would / does this look under the ‘hotel model’? • How should or is this person engaged in the activity?

24. Negative Responses • Not enough time to support people in this way – quicker for me to do it • But they don’t want to do anything • Residents are tired after day activity programs • We’ve tried but they’ll never do it by themselves • The people we support don’t like change

25. Your strengths and abilities in relation to active support Client strengths and abilities in relation to active support Challenges faced by client Challenges you face as a support worker

26. Please complete your evaluation form Thanks for your participation